study issue

WASHINGTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Advocates for the
regulation of the internet were defeated in their efforts to pass a law for
so called 'net neutrality' in Maine this week. After failing to find the
votes necessary to pass binding legislation, the Maine Legislature decided
to "study" the issue and passed a non-binding resolution (LD 1675) asking
Maine's Public Advocate's Office to submit a report on net neutrality for
the Utilities Committee by February 1, 2008.
The resolution is not law, and asks only for further examination of the
issue. However it does acknowledge that broadband policy is a federal
issue, and any state regulations will be preempted by federal legislation.
For the last two years FreedomWorks has been engaged in a campaign to
educate citizens on how so-called "net neutrality" mandates would open the
floodgates to government meddling in a market that is currently competitive
and dynamic. These efforts have flown in the face of big-government
advocates such as MoveOn.org and Common Cause that are pushing net
neutrality regulation under the guise of being pro-consumer.
FreedomWorks Chairman and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey
commented:
"Net neutrality is simply a solution in search of a problem. The
Federal Communications Commission already has sufficient authority under
existing law to regulate and correct anticompetitive practices. Additional
regulation in this area is unnecessary.
Maine's economy has been in a difficult spot in recent years, and most
legislators realize that Maine needs a world class telecom infrastructure
to compete. Net Neutrality would serve as a disincentive to broadband
deployment and infrastructure upgrades, especially in rural areas. To move
the state forward, Maine needs lower taxes and fewer regulations to allow
business to better compete and grow. Rather than creating a new law for a
hypothetical problem, Maine did the right thing by not adding to its
economic woes through net neutrality."